By Philip Yatai
Kaduna – The Kaduna State Office of Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), on Wednesday said that it had registered no fewer than 51,430 teachers in the state from 2,000 to date.
The State Coordinator, Kabir Yar’Adua, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna.
Adua explained that out of the figure, 33,705 were primary school teachers, 11,775 secondary school teachers, 1,240 tertiary and 4,710 comprising others with teaching certificates but not in the classroom.
He attributed the commendable response of teachers to the cordial working relationship between the state government and the council.
He also noted the overwhelming support of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in ensuring that members of the union registered with the council.
“As you can see, the response of teachers in the state has been very encouraging.
“This is largely because the government had made TRCN certificate a requirement for promotion as its supports the council and the desire to improve the quality of teaching in its schools,’’ he said.
The coordinator acknowledged that the response of teachers from tertiary institutions have not been encouraging.
He, however, said that they were beginning to respond since the council’s announced its decision to bar teachers without TRCN certification from teaching by end of 2017.
Yar’Adua said that the council would continue to work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure total compliance to the Act that established council.
NAN reports that TRCN Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Olusegun Ajiboye, recently announced that teachers, who failed to obtain the professional teaching certificate from the council, would not be allowed to teach beyond 2017.
Ajiboye said that the qualifying professional examination, scheduled for September, remained the only practical way through which holders of teaching qualifications could defend their certificates.
Some teachers in Kaduna welcomed the idea as very crucial to professionalism.
Mr Bayo Yusuf, Principal, Marafa Comprehensive School, Marafa Estate, Kaduna, described the development as a “a very good idea’’, adding that it would “professionalise the teaching profession’’.
He, however, advised that the examination for the registration should be rigorous.
“The examination should be rigorous and handled by thorough professionals; teaching is a practical profession, so emphasis should be on the capacity to teach,’’ he told NAN.
Another teacher, Malam Maidace Dahiru, said that the measure would bring the needed sanity in the teaching profession.
“It should be like in the medical field; if you are not certified and licensed, you cannot treat a patient. So, if you are not a certified teacher, you have no business going to teach.’’
